Bengaluru Stampede: Kumaraswamy urges CM to fire Shivakumar
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Union Heavy Industries & Steel Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy on Wednesday alleged that Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar was responsible for the tragic stampede near the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru that claimed the lives of 11 cricket fans.Addressing a late-night press conference at his official residence in New Delhi, the Union Minister urged chief minister Siddaramaiah to sack Shivakumar holding him responsible for the tragedy.He criticized the current government in Karnataka as being run by "arrogant fools" and added, 'It pains me to say this, but we have a Chief Minister who is completely inactive. He has no control over the Deputy CM. As for the Home Minister, there's no point even discussing, he merely obeys commands. If told to sit, he sits; if told to stand, he stands.'Referring to the government's felicitation event near Vidhana Soudha, Kumaraswamy said, 'While four people lay dead in a stampede near the Chinnaswamy Stadium, Shivakumar continued with the felicitation ceremony as if nothing had happened. How else do you describe such a government other than calling it an arrogant one?'Kumaraswamy expressed dismay over the state's haste in organizing a felicitation: 'On Tuesday night, the team won the IPL trophy. What was the rush to organize a felicitation event immediately? Who invited the team? Why this urgency? Everyone knows the role the Deputy CM played in all this,' he lashed out.'Why hold two separate events? One program, well-organized with proper preparation, would have been enough. There should have been appropriate security and caution. Instead, everything was rushed simply to glorify himself. As a result of this recklessness, sports fans lost their lives,' he said.Kumaraswamy criticized the Dy CM's conduct at the stadium, saying:'After his show at Vidhana Soudha, the DCM reached the stadium. Right outside the stadium lay the bodies of the deceased. Rather than stopping the event, he walked into the ground, lifted the trophy, and kissed it. Did he play the match and win the cup himself? Perhaps even the players didn't get the opportunity to touch the trophy. In the midst of deaths, he used RCB's win for his own PR and self-glorification.''This kind of recklessness cannot be tolerated. If the Chief Minister truly has any strength, courage, or leadership, he should start by removing such a person from his cabinet,' the Union Minister demanded.
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The officers were suspended for facilitating a situation that 'went out of control and brought a lot of misery, loss of precious life and embarrassment to the government', among other reasons. The victims of Wednesday's stampede were all aged under 33, with the youngest being 13 years old. 'The CEO of RCB had intimated Commissioner of Police, Bengaluru City on 03/06/2025 about holding the victory parade and celebrations on 4th of June 2025. However, the office of Police Commissioner failed to give written reply to the organisers, rejecting the permission on the grounds of lack of time to prepare for such a huge event,' read the suspension order released to media persons late Thursday evening. The suspended officers include commissioner Dayananda, Additional Commissioner of Police (West) Vikash Kumar Vikash, Shekar H. Tekkannavar, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central), and Additional Commissioner (Cubbon Park) Cubbon Park inspector A.K. Girish, who had filed the suo motu FIR, was also suspended by the chief minister. Seemanth Kumar Singh was named the new city police commissioner soon after, as decided in a cabinet meeting. Siddaramaiah was flanked by Home Minister G. Parameshwara, and Deputy Chief Minister and Bengaluru in-charge D.K. Shivakumar, as the announcement was made. The blame was laid on the police, organisers and the venue operators, with the government taking no responsibility. Also Read: 'My brother was crazy about cricket, it took his life': Chinnaswamy stampede leaves families devastated What the FIR said According to the complaint filed by Girish, KSCA chief executive officer Shubendu Ghosh had approached the Cubbon Park Police Station Tuesday evening around 6 pm, seeking permission for a victory parade and other celebrations for Royal Challengers Bengaluru. The team won its maiden IPL trophy later that night and fans poured out on the streets in several localities in celebration, which lasted till the early hours of Wednesday. The police were skeptical as they expected hundreds of thousands of people to descend around the stadium, the FIR said. The police were aware of the challenges in providing security and managing crowds since it was not a scheduled match, and denied permission on the same grounds, including that it would disrupt traffic in the central business district on a weekday, it added. But RCB, DNA Entertainment and KSCA insisted on holding the celebrations on 4 June, the FIR further said, and despite being denied permission, the organisers posted on RCB's X handle at around 7 am about the entire day's events, including the celebrations. This information was then shared widely on social media and also by news outlets. A meeting of senior officers was then held to discuss provision of security and other arrangements to manage the crowd. The police had also brought in additional force, according to the FIR. RCB's post had said that the team would land at 1.30 pm Wednesday at HAL Airport, and then make their way to Hotel Taj West End to rest up. At 4 pm, they were supposed to be felicitated by the chief minister, deputy chief minister and others on the steps of the Vidhana Soudha, which was to be followed by a victory parade in an open-top bus from the Vidhana Soudha to Chinnaswamy stadium, a distance of about 1 km. But the police denied permission for a parade, and the organisers then announced that the celebrations would be held at Chinnaswamy Stadium. The complaint further said that adequate arrangements had been made, but lakhs of fans turned up near the stadium, which has a capacity of 35,000. 'KSCA management committee and RCB franchise officials failed to decide on how to grant fans entry into the stadium. Consequently, thousands of fans gathered on the roads outside the stadium. Around 3.10 pm, the gates at the locations with the largest crowds were opened to let people inside. This led to a severe stampede at the gates, resulting in stampede and commotion,' it read. It added that the police, private and VVIP security personnel then tried to control the crowd and rescue those trapped in the stampede, managing to avert a larger tragedy. RCB, DNA and KSCA have been booked under Sections 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 115 (voluntarily causing hurt), 118 (voluntarily causing hurt or grievous hurt by using dangerous weapons or means), 121 (voluntarily causing hurt or grievous hurt to deter public servant from his duty), 190 (liability of members of an unlawful assembly for offences committed in pursuit of a common object), 132 (assault or criminal force to deter a public servant from discharging their duty), and 125 (12) (acts endangering life or personal safety of others) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. 'Want justice, not scapegoats' The Siddaramaiah government Thursday formed a one-man judicial commission to probe the stampede. Former Karnataka High Court judge Michael D' Cunha will look into the alleged lapses to figure out who was responsible for the mishap. The report will be submitted within a month. The government has so far deflected all questions on the role of political leadership in the tragedy. Police officers that ThePrint spoke to said that it was on the insistence of political leaders that the celebrations took place. Meanwhile, opposition parties have questioned Siddaramaiah over 'making scapegoats' out of the suspended police officers. 'CM @siddaramaiah avare, People of Karnataka are demanding justice, not scapegoats,' R. Ashoka, leader of the Opposition in the Karnataka assembly, wrote in a post. CM @siddaramaiah avare, People of Karnataka are demanding justice, not scapegoats. ಮಾನ್ಯ ಸಿಎಂ ಸಿದ್ದರಾಮಯ್ಯನವರೇ, ಕರ್ನಾಟಕದ ಜನತೆ ನ್ಯಾಯ ಕೇಳುತ್ತಿದ್ದಾರೆ, ಹರಕೆಯ ಕುರಿಗಳನ್ನಲ್ಲ. — R. Ashoka (@RAshokaBJP) June 5, 2025 The state BJP president, B.Y. Vijayendra also posted: 'CM Siddaramaiah and his government, instead of taking accountability for the entire tragedy, are now attempting to deflect blame and make scapegoats out of the already overburdened police personnel—despite the fact that these officials had initially denied permission and were eventually overruled by political directives…' CM Siddaramaiah and his government, instead of taking accountability for the entire tragedy, are now attempting to deflect blame and make scapegoats out of the already overburdened police personnel – despite the fact that these officials had initially denied permission and were… — Vijayendra Yediyurappa (@BYVijayendra) June 5, 2025 The BJP has accused the government of not heeding to the advice of the police to not hold such celebrations, and then suspending the latter itself. 'How unfair is it to first ignore the well-reasoned advice of the police department, and now unjustly pinning the blame squarely on them? CM Siddaramaiah, DCM DK Shivakumar, and Home Minister @DrParameshwara bear complete responsibility for this tragic episode. They must own up their failure and resign from their positions in the larger interest of the state and its people,' Vijayenendra added. (Edited by Mannat Chugh) Also Read: Bengaluru stampede tragedy: What science tells us about crowd control
